Life on the Streets
by amberelisabeth
Summary: TK feels frustrated, so he runs away. He meets up with other runaways and they become a surrogate family. What's his new life like, and will he ever go back to his old one? PG13 for later violence and death. DONE
1. Leaving

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.  
  
A/N: TK is 14 in this fic, and Matt is 17.  
  
'I can't stand this anymore.' TK thought as he walked home from a digidestined meeting. 'I can't stand everyone expecting me to have a perfect life. Nobody ever notices me unless I'm less than happy-go-lucky, and even then they hardly pay attention. The digidestined don't need me on the team, I'm just there for moral support and to raise everyone's spirits. No one would notice if I was ...gone. That's it! I'll leave, run away. Start my own life where I can be myself, not who everyone expects me to be. Why didn't I think of this before?'  
  
As soon as TK got home he filled his backpack with 2 changes of clothes, some assorted food, and $50 he had in his room. Then he simply walked out of the apartment leaving his old life, and everyone in it, behind. He never even looked back.  
  
*  
  
Matt groaned as he was woken up by the phone. 'It's 6:30 Saturday morning! This had better be important.'  
  
"Moshi-moshi. Ishida residence."  
  
"Matt? Oh God! Please tell me you know where TK is!"  
  
"Mom, calm down. What's wrong? Where's TK?"  
  
"I don't know! I came home last night and he was gone! I waited all night for him to come back, but he didn't. Some of his clothes are gone, and some food too. Oh God Matt! I think he's run away!" by this time Nancy was in hysterics.  
  
This statement had the same effect on Matt as pouring ice water on him would have had. 'Why would TK run away? He's the happiest person I know.' "Mom," he said, "call the police. I'm going to get the other digidestined and we'll start looking right away."  
  
Matt hung up the phone and let it all sink in. 'TK has run away. He's gone, missing. I may never see him again. How could this happen?!' When Matt got over the initial shock he picked up the phone and dialed one of many numbers that he would call that morning.  
  
*  
  
TK tossed and turned under the dock as he tried to fall asleep. It had been two weeks since he had run away and he had successfully made it to the large city of Osaka. He had decided to stay there for a while as his money, as well as his food, was pretty much gone and it would be easier to get by in a large city, rather than on the road or in a small town.  
  
He was suddenly alerted by movement and sound to his left.  
  
"Who's there?" he demanded.  
  
A girl that looked about his age came out and sat by him. "I'm Tanouchi Kira. I'm a runaway. You?"  
  
"Takaishi Takeru, but you can call me TK. I'm a runaway too."  
  
"How long ago did you run away?"  
  
"2 weeks. You?"  
  
"3 weeks. I ran away because nobody needed or noticed me. What's your story?"  
  
"Pretty much the same. Everyone expected me to be perfectly happy, and only noticed me if I wasn't. The only reason I was around was to raise everyone's spirits."  
  
Kira nodded her head in understanding. "I've never seen you before. You're not from around here are you?"  
  
"No, I'm from Odaiba. But I plan on staying here for a while."  
  
"Good." She said standing up. "Why don't you come with me? There's a small group of us, 5 actually, all runaways from different parts of Japan. We're like a family in a way, and we always welcome other runaways."  
  
TK considered it. It would be nice to live with other kids who understood him. "Alright," he answered, "I'd like that a lot."  
  
A/N: This is like an intro. Other chapters will be longer. Will update soon. 


	2. New Family

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.  
  
TK followed Kira to the abandoned warehouse district and into warehouse 14A.  
  
"I'm back," Kira called out, "and I brought someone with me."  
  
"Who?" a young boy's voice called back.  
  
"Come out and see." she answered.  
  
Suddenly four other children came out of the shadows and looked TK over.  
  
"Hey kid," said a boy just younger than TK, "why don't you tell us your name, age, and where you're from, and we'll tell you the same."  
  
"Alright. I'm Takaishi Takeru, but I go by TK. I'm 14 and I'm from Odaiba.  
  
A young boy stepped forward. He came up to TK's stomach, and had short spiked black hair and deep brown eyes. "I'm Hamamoto Ichiro, but everyone just calls me Ro. I'm 9 and I'm from Kobe."  
  
Next a young girl spoke up. She had long red/brown hair that went halfway down her back. She came up to just bellow TK's shoulder. She had red eyes that reminded TK of Sora. "I'm Asanuma Sumiko, but my nickname's Mickey. I'm 11 and I'm from Kyoto."  
  
The girl standing by her spoke up next. This girl was just a couple inches taller than Mickey. She had blonde hair up in a bun and sea green eyes. "I'm Maruyama Haniko, but I go by Hannah. I'm 12 and I'm from Hamamatsu."  
  
The other boy was the last to speak. He was about Hannah's height with deep blue hair (think Jyou) and the same color eyes. "The name's Omura Chuichi, but you can call me Chi. I'm 13 and I'm from Yokohama."  
  
TK smiled "It's nice to meet all of you." He turned to Kira. "I know your name Kira, but I don't know your age or where you're from."  
  
Kira smiled back. In the light TK could see that she was about 4 inches shorter than him. She had shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes, much like TK's own. "I just turned 14 and I'm from Sakai." she answered.  
  
"How long are you staying TK?" Mickey asked.  
  
"As long as you'll let me."  
  
This answer seemed to satisfy them as everyone nodded their approval.  
  
Over the next weeks TK felt at home with the other kids. Being the oldest he felt naturally responsible for everyone else. None of the kids resented this, if anything they felt relieved to have someone to depend on and trust.  
  
TK learned a lot about the others over time. He remembered a specific conversation that they had two weeks ago.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
The kids had all been eating dinner and TK noticed that Hannah was being unusually quiet.  
  
"Something wrong Hannah?" he asked.  
  
She looked up at him. "I... saw my brother today. He didn't see me, but I almost wish he had. Kai wasn't the reason I ran, and I miss him."  
  
"I know what you mean." Chi said, "I miss my older sister and younger brothers too. We didn't get along really well, but that doesn't mean I didn't love them."  
  
"I miss my little sister," Mickey said. "She was only a year and a half younger than me, so we were pretty close."  
  
"I had 2 younger brothers," Kira voiced. "They were a pain but I loved them anyway. I wish I could see them again without the risk of being caught and sent home."  
  
"I had an older brother, he's 13. We were really close when we were younger, but not so much when we got older. What about you TK? Any sibs?" Ro asked.  
  
"Yeah, I had an older brother. We were really close until a couple of months before I ran. He just didn't have room in his life for me anymore."  
  
The other kids nodded in understanding and the rest of the meal was silent.  
  
~end flashback~  
  
TK frowned at the memory. He hadn't noticed it at the time, but they had all been speaking past tense, as if their brothers and sisters weren't their brothers and sisters anymore. It was as if they could never go back to their own lives. 'Maybe we can't'  
  
He shook off the thought and returned to the task at hand. Stealing food. Yes, TK, the perfect child, was stealing. It wasn't something that the kids were proud of, and they never stole more than they absolutely needed. They had tried to get jobs to pay for the food, but they were too young. They often went days without food or clean water, but they never once complained.  
  
After grabbing the food and starting back to the warehouse, TK went back to thinking about his surrogate family. Each had talked to him at different times and he now knew their stories and they knew his, minus everything digiworld related.  
  
Ro had been the first to talk. He had adopted TK as his new older brother right away. His real older brother's name was Ryo. Ro's mother had died when he was three so it was just the brothers and their father. His dad had two jobs, so he was hardly ever home. His brother had started becoming really withdrawn about 8 months before Ro, feeling alone and unwanted, ran. All of the kids craved some attention, but Ro needed it most of all. TK was the one who gave it to him.  
  
Kira came to him next. She had already told him why she ran when they first met, but she told him a few more details. Her younger brothers were Mikey and Trevor. Her parents still lived together, but were always out with friends. When they were home all of their time was spent on the boys. Kira was just an in-house babysitter, but she didn't blame her brothers she blamed her parents.  
  
After Kira came Mickey. Mickey's little sister was named Mamie. Mickey's dad walked out on the family when she was 7. Her mom blamed the girls, but mostly Mickey. After 4 years of verbal abuse she couldn't take it anymore and she ran.  
  
Hannah followed Mickey. Her brother was named Kai. He was 15. Their parents dumped them with their aunt and uncle when she was 9. They were very bitter about having to take care of Hannah and Kai, and tried to make their lives a living hell. Kai was a social butterfly and often avoided the house via his friends, but Hannah wasn't so lucky. She had to do all the chores and cooking and was basically treated like a slave. When she was 12 she finally got the courage to run.  
  
Chi came to him last. He had been on the streets the longest; he ran 3 weeks before TK. His sister was named Rena, and his brothers were Cho and Boe. His parents had split and all of the kids lived with their mom. She had recently gotten a new boyfriend who lived with them. He was a drunk and verbally abused the kids, especially Chi. He had even gone so far as to hit Rena a few times. Chi decided that he wasn't going to be a quiet victim, so he ran.  
  
TK smiled as he thought of everyone individually. They had come to depend and trust him indefinitely, and he was like a big brother to all of them. It was nice to feel needed.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by a girl's scream coming from the warehouse district.  
  
A/N: Well? Should I go on? 


	3. Tradgedy

Disclaimer: I am NOT rich, therefore I DO NOT own Digimon.  
  
A/N: Sorry I took longer than expected to update. English research papers are killer.  
  
TK sprinted towards the sound. When he got there he saw that it was Mickey who was screaming. She was being restrained by a large man. He saw Hannah unconscious on the ground and being raped by another man. TK dropped the bag and pulled the man off Hannah. He quickly knocked him unconscious, but was then grabbed from behind by the other man who had pushed Mickey to the ground.  
  
TK struggled but could not get away. The man suddenly pulled out a knife and would have cut TK's throat if his hand had not been jerked. Instead a deep cut appeared on TK's right cheek, going from his jawbone to level with the top of his ear. The man had been startled by the sudden jerk and this gave TK the opportunity to pull away and attack. As soon as the man was knocked out TK turned his attention back to the girls.  
  
Mickey was on the ground crying. He went over and helped her up, giving her a reassuring hug before pulling out a blanket and covering Hannah with it. He picked her up and he and Mickey hurried back to 14A.  
  
When they got back TK sent Mickey to get Kira while he took Hannah to a back room. Kira came and told TK to get his cut cleaned up while she took care of Hannah.  
  
Chi bandaged the cut while TK tried to comfort Mickey as she cried into his shirt. She was terrified, and TK couldn't blame her. She had just seen a rape take place and probably would have been raped herself if TK hadn't gotten there.  
  
Kira came out with Hannah, who had regained consciousness, after about half an hour. Hannah looked terrified, like Mickey, but it didn't look like she had cried at all. Kira took Hannah over to Chi and Ro before turning to TK. "We need to talk." she said.  
  
TK nodded and followed her out. "How is she?" he asked when the others were out of earshot.  
  
"Physically, she'll be fine and there's no chance of pregnancy."  
  
"But..." TK prodded.  
  
"But emotionally this was obviously very traumatic for her. She wouldn't talk to me or eat or drink anything. I'm worried. I think you should talk to her, she'll listen to you."  
  
"She will?" TK asked surprised.  
  
"Yeah, she will. You're like everyone's big brother here. We all trust you above anyone else. And besides that, you're the one who saved her. Will you try to talk to her?"  
  
"Of course." TK replied, touched by Kira's words. He then turned and went to find Hannah.  
  
When he found her she was alone in the upper level of the warehouse.  
  
"Hey," he said quietly as he sat down by her. "I understand if you don't want to talk, but at least listen. We're all worried about you and we want to help. We can't change what happened, but we can help you cope. I want you to be able to talk to me. If you don't want to talk to me, then please talk to someone else. I care about you imoutosan, and I hate seeing you hurt."  
  
Hannah had looked up at the word 'imoutosan', but she hadn't said anything. TK was about to leave when she spoke.  
  
"TK..." was all she got out before she started sobbing.  
  
TK held her and let her cry it out. He knew she needed to get her feelings out.  
  
After about 10 minutes Hannah was out of tears and had calmed down a bit.  
  
"Do you feel better at all?" TK asked, sympathy clear in his voice.  
  
"No" she replied, her voice cracking.  
  
"Do you want to talk?"  
  
She nodded. "We were just walking back home when they grabbed us. One held Mickey while the other one raped me. It hurt so bad oniisan; worse than anything else! I guess I passed out because the next thing I remember was somebody carrying me back to the warehouse. That was you wasn't it?" she asked sniffling.  
  
"Yeah, it was." TK replied, trying not to let his anger at the men show. Right now Hannah was the number one priority.  
  
"Thank you for protecting us. If you hadn't come..."  
  
"Don't think about that. I only wish that I could've gotten there sooner. Maybe I could've protected you better."  
  
"It's not your fault; and you did protect us."  
  
"But it is my fault. I'm responsible for everyone's safety."  
  
"You can't be with all of us all the time. You were getting food, which we need."  
  
"I guess so. But I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you, or any of the others, again."  
  
"Thanks oniisan. I trust you."  
  
~  
  
That had all happened two weeks ago and everything had gone back to as normal as possible. The scar on TK's face was the only indication that anything had happened. Hannah and Mickey were back to their old selves, but TK always kept an extra close eye on them. He made sure that they never went out late alone, and it was usually him who went with them. He still felt partially responsible, but this only fueled his desire to protect the others.  
  
But, as he soon found out, it is impossible to protect from everything.  
  
~  
  
It started one and a half months after the rape. Food was scarce, as it was the middle of winter, and the kids hadn't eaten for almost two weeks. TK decided that, in order to keep everyone from starving, he would have to make a food run to the East Side of town. The East Side of town was known gang territory, complete with daily shootouts. To go through there was asking to be shot; you were extremely lucky if you weren't. TK knew he had to go, but he wasn't going to tell the others because they might want to go to.  
  
"TK, where are you going?" Kira asked as he was about to leave.  
  
'Damn!' he thought, 'She knows I can't lie to her.' "I'm going to get food." he answered, hoping she would drop it.  
  
No such luck. "Where?"  
  
"East Side." he muttered.  
  
"East Side! You can't go there by yourself. We're coming to."  
  
"No. It's too dangerous."  
  
"Exactly, there's safety in numbers."  
  
"But--"  
  
"No buts, were going with you." she said stubbornly.  
  
"Fine," TK said knowing he was going to lose this battle. "But if anything happens..."  
  
"Nothing will. Stop worrying."  
  
As the kids set off for East Side TK got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.  
  
The first half of the trip went fine, but during the second half TK had the gut feeling that they were being followed. He couldn't get a good look, though, without worrying the others.  
  
Suddenly several gunshots fired and TK fell to the ground clutching his stomach. He looked and saw the others on the ground, their blood mixing with his in the snow. Then he blacked out. 


	4. Goodbyes

Disclaimer: Not mine  
  
TK groaned as he came to. He had immense pain in his stomach and he felt very dizzy. When he opened his eyes he saw that he was in a hospital room, alone.  
  
"Excuse me," he called out weakly to the next nurse who came by the door.  
  
"You're awake!" she exclaimed. "This is wonderful, we thought we were going to lose you."  
  
"Please, where are my friends? There should have been five others."  
  
"I'm sorry dear, but only one other besides you made it."  
  
This hit TK like a ton of bricks. He sank back in shock. "Who---who else made it?" he asked after several minutes.  
  
"She won't tell us her name."  
  
'She.' TK thought, 'That means Chi and Ro are dead for sure.'  
  
"She keeps calling for her onii-san," the nurse continued.  
  
TK shot up, ignoring the pain. "That's me. Can I go see her?"  
  
"Yes. I never would have guessed that you two were related. You look so different," she said while helping TK up.  
  
TK decided that he needed to tell her the truth. "Well...we're not. The six of us were runaways and we formed a surrogate family. I was like a big brother to all of them; that's why she called me onii-san."  
  
"You poor dears!" the nurse exclaimed before her attitude grew very serious. "Since you are runaways, I'll need you to tell me your name and home city; hers too. Ages wouldn't hurt either. We'll also need you to identify the bodies after you see your friend."  
  
"Are you going to contact our families?" TK asked warily.  
  
"We have to. Policy you know."  
  
TK nodded slowly. I'm Takaishi Takeru from Odaiba. I'm 14. I can't tell you about my friend until I see her."  
  
"Alright, let's go."  
  
TK followed the nurse out into the hall. They walked to the end and into another room. There, on the hospital bed, was Mickey.  
  
"Mickey!" he cried as he darted to the bed.  
  
"TK! I was so afraid you had died! Nobody else made it." she added in a quieter voice before breaking into tears.  
  
"I know, I know. But everything will work out, I promise." this TK whispered to her, but he knew she heard.  
  
'Poor Mickey, she must have been exhausted. It only took her a couple of minutes to cry herself to sleep.' TK laid her back down and got up carefully, trying not to aggravate his own injuries.  
  
When he turned the nurse was by the door. "We had someone call your parents Takeru, but they're both out of the country. Are there any other immediate family members that we could reach?"  
  
TK thought a minute. "My brother, Yamato. He lives with my dad, but you could call his cell phone."  
  
"Great. What's the number?"  
  
"555-0374." TK was surprised he still remembered.  
  
"Alright," the nurse said as she handed the paper to another nurse. "Now what can you tell me about your friend?"  
  
"She's Asunama Sumiko from Kyoto. She's 11."  
  
"Good. Now, I know this may be hard, but I need you to come identify your friends' bodies. Okay?"  
  
'No not okay!' TK thought 'I can't do this; but I have to. For my friends sakes.' "Okay," he said out loud.  
  
Smiling the nurse led TK to a part of the hospital that was freezing cold.  
  
'How can she be so happy?! I have to go identify my friends', no make that my families', bodies and she's smiling like Christmas came early!' the nurse didn't notice the glares TK was giving her as she led him into a brightly lit white room.  
  
*  
  
Matt was walking aimlessly down the streets of Odaiba feeling depressed. He had had a horrible dream the past night about TK getting killed after he ran away and it was now eating away at his mind.  
  
The police had stopped looking for TK after 2 weeks and had placed him on the 'Most Likely Dead' list. Matt seemed to be the only one to believe that TK would come back, even Kari had given up hope.  
  
He jumped as his cell phone rang. The caller ID said it was a private number.  
  
"Hello," he answered.  
  
"Good day," replied a very professional-sounding voice, "Is this Ishida Yamato to whom I am speaking?"  
  
"Yes, it is. Who is this?"  
  
"I am calling from Osaka Hospital. We have your brother Takaishi Takeru here."  
  
Matt stopped dead in his tracks. "Y-you do? How is he?!"  
  
"Well, he was shot twice in the stomach and lost a lot of blood. He's also suffering from malnutrition and dehydration. He was unconscious for 3 days, but now that he's awake he should make a full recovery."  
  
Matt had paled considerably during the report.  
  
"Would it be at all possible for you to come see him as both of your parents are currently out of the country?" the woman asked without missing a beat.  
  
"Of course. I'll be there as soon as I can." Matt hung up the phone and made a beeline for the bus station.  
  
*  
  
TK walked out of the room and resisted the urge to run out of the hospital. His friends had all been lying on big metal tables when he walked in. They hadn't been cleaned up at all, so dried blood was everywhere.  
  
He had seen Ro first. The young boy had been shot just once, right through the heart. Hannah was next. She had been shot twice; once in the chest and once in the neck. Chi was on the next table. He had been shot once in the head. Kira was last. She had been shot 3 times in the chest.  
  
TK knew that he was never going to be able to forget what he saw in that room. His only consolation was that their faces looked peaceful; and the doctors had said that all the deaths were instantaneous and they had felt no pain.  
  
TK jumped as hands were placed on his shoulders. He turned to see that same smiling nurse.  
  
"Good news Takeru. We called your brother and he should be here in a few hours. Why don't I take you back to your room and you can get some rest? You look positively pale as a ghost."  
  
TK just nodded numbly and followed her, wishing that this were just a horrible nightmare. But he knew that it was all too real.  
  
*  
  
Matt was out of the bus almost before it stopped. He darted into the hospital and narrowly avoided colliding with several people before getting to the receptionist.  
  
"I'm looking for Takaishi Takeru, please. I'm his brother."  
  
The receptionist turned to the computer before standing up. "This way please."  
  
Matt followed her to a room just down the hall. She knocked on the door before opening it. "He's right in there."  
  
"Thank you." Matt said as he walked in the room. TK was sitting on the bed looking out the window. He turned when Matt came in.  
  
Matt ran to him and enveloped him in a very tight hug. TK tensed for a few seconds, but then relaxed and returned the hug.  
  
As soon as Matt was sure TK wasn't going to disappear, he pulled back and looked him over. He frowned when he saw the scar on TK's face. His frown deepened when he saw how pale and weak TK looked.  
  
"What happened to you otouto-san?" Matt asked quietly.  
  
"A lot." TK left it at that.  
  
"Why did you run away? You always seemed so-"  
  
"happy?" TK said bitterly cutting Matt off. "Perfect kid with the perfect life right? Who listened and helped everyone with their problems but never had any of his own."  
  
Matt's eyes widened. He hadn't expected the bitterness and hate that ran through his little brother's voice. "I guess we expected too much of you. Sorry squirt." Matt looked down, not wanting to meet TK's eyes.  
  
"It's okay Matt. It's not really your fault, or anyone else's. I guess I just got really stressed and running seemed like the perfect solution."  
  
"Why didn't you come back? We were all so worried about you."  
  
"You were?" TK asked surprised, "I didn't think anyone would notice."  
  
Matt was shocked again. "Of course we noticed! How could you think we wouldn't?!... But you didn't answer my question. Why didn't you come back?"  
  
"At first I didn't think I could; but later, after I met the others, I didn't really want to."  
  
"Others?"  
  
"Yeah. There were 6 of us, now it's down to 2." TK sighed and looked down.  
  
Matt placed a comforting hand around TK's shoulders. "Do you want to tell me what happened to you these past months?"  
  
TK sighed again and nodded. The words rolled off his tongue easily, as if they had been waiting to be said. He told Matt everything: meeting Kira and the others, how they were a family, the dinner conversation about their siblings, how they all came and talked to him, what happened with Hannah and Mickey and how he got his scar, running out of food and going to East Side, how he felt responsible, and how he visited Mickey and had to identify his friend's bodies.  
  
When TK had finished Matt couldn't believe it. "Oh TK. I'm so sorry." Matt pulled TK into another tight hug, still trying to comprehend what his little brother had gone through.  
  
After a few minutes TK pulled away. "Don't be sorry. What happened happened, and unfortunately we can't change that. I do miss them though, a lot."  
  
Suddenly the door opened and Mickey came in. "Onii-san," she started in a tiny voice, "can I stay with you for a while. I really don't want to go back to my room."  
  
"Of course you can stay here. Why don't you want to go back to your room?" he asked as Mickey came and sat by him.  
  
It was then that Mickey noticed Matt. He had been hidden from her view when she first came in. Her eyes widened and she clung to TK.  
  
Matt was startled and confused by her reaction to him, but TK seemed to know exactly what was wrong.  
  
"It's alright Mickey," he reassured her, "you can trust him. Now why don't you want to go back to your room?"  
  
Mickey sighed, "My mom's in there, my sister too. They want to take me home"  
  
"And you don't want to go, right?"  
  
"Not really. Home was horrible, that's why I ran."  
  
"Things might have changed. You won't know unless you give it a chance. If nothing has changed, and you absolutely can't stand it, then you could always run again."  
  
"Are you going to run again?" Mickey asked TK.  
  
"I don't know." TK admitted, "After what's happened I just want to go home. I don't know if I'll stay or not."  
  
"I guess I should go talk to them, huh?"  
  
"Only if you want to."  
  
"I do. Thanks Onii-san." She said as she started towards the door.  
  
"No problem Imotouto-san. I'll come see you later."  
  
"Did you mean what you said about running away again?" Matt asked TK after Mickey had left.  
  
"Yes. Why? Are you worried I'll leave again?"  
  
"Well, yeah."  
  
"Don't worry about it. As long as you want me to stay, I will. I promise."  
  
"Matt nodded, "I trust you. Now why don't you get some sleep, you look exhausted." he said his voice taking on the big brother in charge tone.  
  
TK shook his head "I'm fine."  
  
"You need your rest." Matt said persistently as he pushed TK down on the bed, gently but firmly.  
  
"Ugh...fine." TK said, admitting defeat.  
  
*  
  
TK spent the majority of the next two days sleeping and regaining his strength. On the third day he was released. He and Matt were about to leave when Mickey came in.  
  
"You leaving?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, you?"  
  
"Yeah," she paused, "Um...TK, do you think.... could we...go back? Just one last time?"  
  
"Sure. Why not?" TK replied smiling as he saw Mickey's eyes light up.  
  
"Thank you Onii-san!" she said as she gave him a hug.  
  
"Let's go," he said as he Mickey and Matt walked out of the hospital.  
  
The three walked down through town and past East Side. Mickey and TK both shuddered as they walked past. They finally made it to the warehouse district.  
  
"Home sweet home," Mickey announced as they reached 14A.  
  
The three looked around. It was as if they had never left. Their stuff was all exactly where it had been that night and Mickey and TK half expected Hannah, Kira, Chi, and Ro to come out at any time. All three walked around; Mickey and TK reliving memories, and Matt just looking.  
  
"Is this where you stayed?" Matt asked.  
  
TK nodded, "It's not much, but it was home."  
  
"Yeah," Mickey agreed, "We had some really good times here; lots of memories." She looked outside and sighed. "It's getting late...we should go."  
  
"Yeah, we should."  
  
The three walked back in silence. When they got to the hospital they saw Mickey's mom out front with a taxi. "Come on Sumiko!" she called.  
  
"I guess this is goodbye kid." TK said.  
  
"I'll miss you," she said with tears in here eyes.  
  
"I'll miss you too. But we'll see each other again."  
  
"We will?"  
  
"Yep. I'll come visit you sometime. If my mom ever lets me out of the house again." He added jokingly.  
  
"I'll hold you to that." she said as she gave TK a hug before running to meet her mom. "Bye TK!"  
  
"Bye Mickey."  
  
TK then turned to Matt. "We should get to the bus station," he stated.  
  
"You gonna be okay TK?" Matt asked concerned.  
  
TK nodded slowly. "I'll be fine. Now let's go home."  
  
"Alright."  
  
As they walked TK thought about the past few months. Strangely he had no real regrets. If he had the opportunity to go back in time and not run, he wouldn't stop himself. The memories he had were priceless and he wouldn't trade them for anything, except to have his friends back. Suddenly a quote Kira had once told him came to his mind. He smiled at the memory.  
  
The quote was: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."  
  
And that's exactly what TK did.  
  
Fin. 


End file.
